Seaside Home, Casuarina, NSW

If you’re lucky enough to live close to one of Australia’s beautiful beaches, like the owners of this new home in Casuarina, NSW, you know all the positives of living by the sea. There’s the pleasure of strolling down to the beach for a swim or a surf, enjoying the ever-changing ocean views and being thankful for the cooling afternoon sea breezes.

But when it comes to maintaining your home, one thing that’s not so positive about seaside living: the corrosive impact of salt-laden air on building exteriors such as windows and doors and security screens. Thankfully framing experts Alspec have developed the perfect solution with their Invisi-Gard suite of 316 Marine Grade stainless steel security products and ProGlide High Performance Sliding Doors.

Opting for endurance

The design of this home called for expansive sliding doors and matching security screens at the junction of the indoor and outdoor living areas. Being just 200 metres from Casuarina beach, it was important windows and doors, security screening and framing products selected for this home could endure the potentially harmful effects of the marine environment. Salt air combined with rainfall and wind provides the perfect environment for acceleration of weathering and corrosion of building components.

Alspec’s ProGlide High Performance sliding doors were chosen for their high weather performance qualities and their ability to span floor-to-ceiling spaces and accommodate large expanses of single or double glazing. The ProGlide door’s construction, combined with the versatility of configuration options, made the doors ideal to provide extensive access to the outdoor areas.

Meanwhile, the same spaces required security and insect screens, and it was here that Invisi-Gard stainless steel security screens were the product of choice. As well as being able to effortlessly span the large spaces, Invisi-Gard screens are specifically designed to endure the potentially corrosive conditions experienced in coastal suburbs such as Casuarina. The sliding screen doors were installed adjacent to the ProGlide doors, with both cleverly retracting into a cavity when fully opened.

Why choose Invisi-Gard over other screens?

Although there are many security and insect screens on the market made from aluminium and stainless steel, only those that have been specifically designed to address corrosion issues are suitable for the marine environment. Although both aluminium and stainless steel have inherent anti-corrosive properties, the endurance of a security screen relies on two key factors: the quality of mesh used and the method by which the mesh and the frame are attached.

Marine-grade mesh: Invisi-Gard screens utilise 316 marine-grade stainless steel mesh, which contains a substance called molybdenum. This makes it more resistance to corrosion than 304 grade stainless steel which is commonly used in competitors’ products. Manufactured in quality controlled environment, Invisi-Gard’s stainless steel mesh is accredited under international standards including ISO9001:2008, ISO14001:2004, ISO17025 and OHSAS18001:2007. The mesh is also subject to The Neutral Salt Spray Test (Australian Standard AS2331.3.1) which compares the relative corrosion resistance performance between competing systems and security doors and screens. Under testing Invisi-Gard products surpassed over 2000 hours with no signs of corrosion, well beyond the performance of competitors’ products.

Locked together but kept apart: While contact between aluminium and stainless steel is not an issue in dry climates, it becomes so in moist atmospheres, particularly in marine conditions. If the two dissimilar metals come into contact in the presence of an electrolyte (such as water), galvanic corrosion occurs. The best way to prevent galvanic corrosion is to isolate the two metals from each other, and Invisi-Gard have done this by developing a patented clamping system called Extreme Grip Protection (EGP). EGP captures the stainless steel mesh within the frame using a specially shaped co-extrusion of PVC. The mesh is locked in place without coming into contact with the stainless steel frame. This not only prevents galvanic corrosion but makes it extremely strong, able to withstand impact or attack easily exceeding the level required by Australian Standard AS5039-2008.

Enduring peace of mind

While the technical specifications behind Invisi-Gard provide “invisible” assurance of long term performance, the “visible” qualities of the screens ensure unobstructed views, natural ventilation, insect protection and security to deliver light, airy, and safe living spaces. The occupants of this Casuarina home can also relax knowing they’ve selected products by Alspec, a firm with more than 40 years’ experience in the building industry, and one with so much confidence in their Invisi-Gard product, they provide a 15 year warranty where used in residential builds.